No tan lines allowed!

It’s been awhile since I posted anything, but to be honest, not much has been going on in terms of wedding planning. Things are falling into place, and I’m feeling quite relaxed. In the next couple of weeks, I get to have some wedding related fun at my bachelorette and wedding shower. I’m really looking forward to the bach weekend, which is happening this coming weekend. The gals and myself are heading up to a cottage for a fun filled weekend of eating, drinking and hopefully if the weather permits, enjoying the sun.

With the nice weather and increased sun exposure, I have had to be more and more careful about tan lines. Normally I wouldn’t care less about tan lines, but because my dress is strapless I need to watch out for an unfortunate tan lines. Unfortunately yesterday, I spent some time in the sun wearing a shirt with straps, and without realizing it, I managed to get good ol’fashion strap tan line. My dress fitting is next week, and we’ll see how it looks but thankfully I have sun filled weekend ahead of me to get rid of those tan lines. I just need to make sure I have a bunch of strapless shirts to wear all weekend!

In the case of a tan line emergency, here’s an article on how to get rid of tan lines, phew! Crisis averted.

47 days!

Countdown to a Perfect Fit!

Well today is the day… I get to pick up my wedding dress and start my first round of alterations. I haven’t tried on my dress since March, and at that point it had come directly from the designer. I’m a classic pear shape (smaller bust to hip ratio), and the dress fit fairly well on bottom half, however I was swimming in the top half. Every bridesmaid dress (I’ve been a bridesmaid at least 4 times) I have bought had to be altered in the chest area and not the hips, so I’m used to it. Classic pear shape problems.

I’m looking forward to getting my dress “personalized” and fitted to just me. I have just over 9 weeks and a bit to have my dress altered, which is ample time. Timing is everything- you don’t want to cut it too short because then you’ll be rushed, but you also don’t want to give yourself too much time because you may not end up with a proper fit (weight loss/gain closer to the wedding). With my 9 week window, I have allowed time for 3-4 fittings with the last one being 2 weeks or so before the wedding. This will allow time for any last minute changes (most brides loose several lbs 4-6 weeks before the wedding due to working out, stress, life, etc).

As per Vera Skenderis (alterations manager)  from Kleinfelds in New York City, here’s the ideal countdown for the perfect fit:

It is also recommended to bring your shoes and undergarments that you plan on wearing on the big day to the fitting. I have neither! I have lots of ideas about shoes, but have not committed to a pair as of yet. I’m going back and forth between a high heel and a wedge; I just need to bite the bullet and go shopping. I definitely want comfortable shoes, hence the wedges, but high heels are much more fun. Ideally I want to have my dress fitted to one pair of shoes (at least similar height) so that I don’t end up tripping over my dress (assuming I kick off my shoes mid way through the night). I’ll make sure to have my shoes picked out and purchased by my next fitting.

For this appointment I’m going solo, however for my next appointment I’ll definitely want to bring someone along for a second opinion re: length. As well I’ll want to bring a member of my wedding party so that they know how to do up my dress. My dress isn’t a lace up so there won’t be too much to know, but it sill helps. I’ve heard of horror stories where no one knew how to lace up the bride’s dress causing unnecessary wedding day stress.

For additional alternation tips, check out Bridal Fittings 101 by the Offbeat Bride– lots of great suggestions!

Wish me luck!

80 days to go.

Day by Day… Dresses & Invitations

My dress is in! My dress is in! I’m very excited (if you can’t tell) for my “dress inspection” appointment tomorrow after work. I received a call from Becker’s Bridal before I went away, and was able to nab an appointment for tomorrow. I’m not sure what this appointment entails, but I’m assuming we’re going to see how the dress fits and go from there.  I’d love to post a picture, but then I risk Stew seeing the dress (sorry Stew!). Nonetheless I’ll let you know how the appointment goes.

In other news, invitations are 99% complete. As I had previously mentioned, Stew and I both loved an invitation design we found online, but it would have ended up costing close to $500. Between myself and our wedding planner, we were able to create our own version of the invite for a fraction of the cost. We went back and forth for awhile in regards to design (fonts, colours, etc), but the finish product is awesome! I’m so pleased with the invitation, and I’m even happier that it’s not going to cost a lot (only cost is the printer, which our planner has worked with previously and is able to get us a deal). We’re just waiting for her to send us the proof, and then we’ll send out our invitations by end of March. We have tons of times to send invitations (157 days to be exact), but because over half of our guests will be travelling for the wedding we want to send them out early so people can start making travel arrangements.

This experience has taught me that DIY invitations can go either way. I’ve heard horror stories about brides making invitations- they either don’t turn out the way you envisioned/ take longer than anticipated or end up costing more than having them made. I’m fortunate that we didn’t experience either, but I chalk that up to having help from our wedding planner.  For brides out there, make sure if you’re going to make your invites that you have the time and resources, otherwise get help!

That’s all for now! Wish me luck tomorrow!

157 days!

 

 

I said yes to the dress!

I’m pleased to announce that I said yes to the dress! Last Thursday I went dressing shopping with a good friend and one of my bridesmaids (my pregnant MOD was supposed to come, but she went into labour the day …

Saying “Yes”: Some Helpful Hints When Shopping for the Dress

A great article that I stumbled upon to help with the daunting, but exciting task of wedding dress shopping! Speaking of which, tomorrow is my big wedding dress shopping day- wish me luck!

Something New

With NYC Bridal Fashion Week just wrapping up this week, it seemed only appropriate to dedicate today’s Wedding Wednesday post to “the dress.”  For many women, dress shopping is the highlight of the wedding planning experience, and for others, it’s the most dreaded moment.  Shopping for your gown can seem like a daunting task– there are so many designers, options, price points, and styles that it’s hard not to want everything or nothing, depending on what your vision is for your big day.

Shopping for your wedding dress, no matter how overwhelming it may seem, can also be one of the most fun parts of planning your big day. This is your opportunity to show your personality and style and to make an adventure of it with your close family or friends.  If you are preppy through and through, this is your chance to show of your style with a…

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